Dog park latest pitch for Parker Street Waste Site

New Bedford officials are hoping to fix two problems with one solution, informally proposing a dog park on the site of former residential properties at the Parker Street Waste Site.

ARIEL WITTENBERG

NEW BEDFORD — City officials are hoping to fix two problems with one solution, informally proposing a dog park on the site of former residential properties at the Parker Street Waste Site.

The idea was pitched to neighbors — with mixed results — at a meeting Thursday night.

John Day, whose home would be cornered by the park on two sides, said he was worried that owners would not pick up after their pets.

"I got to lay out at my pool on a 90 degree day, and if someone's dog takes a dump and they don't have time to pick up after it because they have to run to work, it all lands with us," he said.

He also said he was worried having so many dogs in the area would cause his own dog to bark more.

Anthony Thomas said he was also concerned about sanitation, noting that if the park starts to smell, "The owners can pack up their dogs and leave."

"We're the ones left smelling the urine," he said.

Thomas said he was also concerned that the dog park would attract people from outside the neighborhood, already crowded on week days due to traffic from the high school and Keith Middle School.

Since 2008, the six lots on the corner of Greenwood Street and Hathaway Boulevard have sat vacant, with a chain-linked fence surrounding them. The city has made multiple proposals over the past two years on what to do with the properties, including a solar farm and a public park, but each was either financially not feasible or opposed by neighbors.

Brenda Mattos, a direct abutter to the property, said a dog park would be a better solution than previous proposals.

"I know everything else they've talked about putting on that property and how bad those things would be," she said. "I could live with a dog park."

Mattos said that teenagers see the vacant lots next to her house and take them as an invitation to trespass onto her property, despite a fence. She said she is worried that a public park would cause similar problems.

The dog park, by comparison, would be fenced in and only those with a key card could access it. Key cards would be given out only to residents whose dogs do not have a history with animal control and do have proper vaccination records, Animal Control Officer Director Emanuel Maciel said. The dog park would also have separate areas for large dogs and small dogs to play to avoid any inter-canine conflicts, Maciel said. Mary Rapoza, director of Parks, Recreation and Beaches, said her department would be responsible for maintaining the park and keeping it clean.

Director of Environmental Stewardship Michele Paul noted that the proposal is only an "informal idea" and that the city is open to feedback and making changes.

"We want to meet the needs of the community while addressing the needs of immediate neighbors because they are the ones who will be living with this," she said. Once the city decides on a use for the property, it will find a way to clean up the toxins there so the property will be safe, Paul said.

At the neighborhood meeting, city officials also proposed a reuse option for the Nemasket Street property, between the already acquired properties and the high school. There, the city is proposing to build a soccer field and basketball court to be used by Keith Middle School, which does not have any outdoor athletic facilities. Neighbors largely favored that proposal at the meeting.